Beautiful Disasters- Hawks x OC

Chapter 40

Keigo nodded in understanding.

"What else?" she asked. She knew that wasn't what put him so on edge last night.

The blonde fell silent for a moment, his fingers tracing delicate circles on her shoulders, reminding himself that she was there. "Dabi gave me a list..." he said. He sent a feather floating towards the file that was discarded in the corner of the room.

The file flew back on the feather, dropping into Mariko's lap.

The brunette wasted no time in opening it and immediately saw her name at the top of her page. That didn't concern her as much as the rest of the names did. She knew every single on of the people on the list very well- they had all been her teammates. They'd all been part of the squadron tasked to bring Mineko Shimizu in and get her research. Mariko sighed heavily, and her shoulders slumped like she suddenly had the weight of the world on her shoulders.

Keigo looked at her and for the second time, he couldn't find the strong, independent, and amazing woman he knew so well. That person had been replaced with someone who only knew war and suffering and it pained him greatly.

She leaned into him a little bit more, the energy suddenly completely drained out of her. "These people, she started, "were all my teammates during the operation in Division 1," she told him. She set the paper down, the names having been engraved in her memory long before they were written on it. "Fujio Maki, Tanaka Aiko, Araya Sosa, Hayato Kusumoto, and Saito Mariko. Those were the names of the people on the Alpha Task Force #5. You probably won't find anything on them except for Tanaka Aiko and Hayato Kusumoto," she said quietly.

"How come?" he asked.

"All members of Division 1 task forces don't legally exist. Araya and Fujio still work in the system as far as I know, so you definitely won't find anything on them."

"What about Kusumoto and Tanaka?" he asked.

"You'll find a marriage license and a birth certificate listing him as the father. Nothing else." She swallowed thickly, "Aiko died during the operation. You can find her grave in the military graveyard in Yokohoma."

He sighed and placed a kiss on the side of her head, "I'm sorry."

"It was my fault," she told him.

He shook his head, "It's not."

Mariko stared at her hands, "It is. I was the team captain. Making sure they all got out alive was my responsibility... she was the youngest..." she trailed off, remembering that she had asked Aiko to drive the car in China. "It should've been me," she finished.

Keigo shook his head, "No. Don't say that Mariko. Please don't tell me you should've died," he said quietly. He didn't want to hear that; he couldn't bear the thought of having never met her.

Mariko nodded, and looked up at him, "I know this mission's important, but don't tell them anything about the others. I'll tell you anything you need to know, but please, don't get them involved."

He looked down at her; her eyes silently begged him not to. He sighed and nodded. "Are you gonna freak out if I ask you questions?" he asked her.

Mariko shook her head.

"Alright, where were you born?" he asked.

"Fukuoka."

Keigo smiled a bit, "I was born in Fukuoka too. We must've been neighbors," he commented. Though it was unlikely, the thought that she'd always been close by was comforting given the fact that his childhood hadn't been the best. "How old are you?" he asked.